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What's in an OS - would you buy a "hackintosh"?
There's been much ado on the internet lately regarding an American company called Psystar producing, or at least claiming to produce, inexpensive computers that run Apple's OS X operating system. Recent developments include a video at Gizmodo purporting to show one of the so called "open computers" booting up and, after a very PC-like BIOS screen, loading OS X.
The outcry surrounding Psystar, complete with claims that the whole thing is some sort of Hoax, is rather predictable for several reasons. Many have pointed out that Apple doesn't currently - although it used to - license other companies to run its operating systems on their hardware (Psystar reportedly claims that it considers Apple's EULA to be a violation of monopoly laws). Others have noted that it's not particularly difficult for technically savvy computer users who know how to build a PC to create the same thing - a so-called hackintosh - themselves using information that's widely available on the web. Finally, many have pointed out that the Psystar computers are not capable of using Apple's Software Update utility, so fixing security or other problems with OS X could be problematic.
Others claim that, despite these problems, it's good to have the option of buying an easily expandable mid-price desktop computer that runs Mac OS X on their choice of monitor - something notably absent from Apple's own range, which currently jumps from the svelte but hardly spacious all-in-one iMac to the powerful but pricey Mac Pro. And it appears that several people have put their money where their mouths are by ordering from Psystar.
We will, of course, keep monitoring Psystar and keep you updated on any developments. In the meantime, what do you think: would you buy an OS X computer from a third party, would you prefer to build one yourself, or is OS X only a worthwhile purchase when it's running on original Apple hardware?
Posted by Tom Royal on April 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack
More useful features added to Zoho
The Zoho online office suite has just added some more features. It is now possible to include pivot tables in documents and use Visual Basic macros.
Other new features include named ranges (making formulas much easier to write) and new ways to share documents with other users.
I'm impressed by what Zoho manages to get into online applications. I know everyone talks about Google Docs, but Zoho is far and away the best. Like Google Docs, basic accounts are free so there is no excuse for not giving it a go.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
AVG Free 8 is here
Hot on the heels of the full Security Suite, AVG AntiVirus Free 8 is here.
One clever extra is the Linkscanner software. This software scans links in Google Searches to check for malicious scripts that might damage the computer. 
I've been using it a little while as a stand alone app. It's similar to McAfee's SiteAdvisor (for Firefox and for Internet Explorer) but it works on the fly. The advantage of this is that it still protects without any delays for threats to be identified.
It doesn't seem to be included in the updater for AVG Free 7.5 so it needs to be an uninstall/reinstall job.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Game of the week: Filler
Filler is a lot like Jezzball - the aim of the game is to paint the screen by clicking on it. Instead of using lines, though, this time you're creating balls (so to speak).
Clicking and holding down the mouse makes a ball appear on the screen - the longer you hold, the larger it grows. To complete each level you need to fill two thirds of the screen with balls, but if any of the smaller bouncing balls hit yours while they're still being made, you lose a life.
So the trick is to hone your mouse-button-holding skills so that you can release the ball just a tick before a bouncing ball is about to hit it. It's harder than you think.
Posted by Anthony Dhanendran on April 25, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Coming, ready or not
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is coming to a PC near you now, courtesy of Automatic Updates. As far as we have heard, the reboot problem has now been sorted.
Don't feel left out if you use Windows XP, Service Pack 3 is due very soon.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Odd Validation experience
Microsoft's validation for Windows and Office seems to be getting quite a bad press at the moment. I don't think this is going to help even though this isn't going to descend into a rant.
I've been writing a review of the Getting Started Tab for Word 2007. I needed to check the download details and that involved visiting the download page. It prompted me to validate, which I duly did and succeeded.
That's great, apart from the fact I don't have Office 2007 on my computer here, only 2003. It just seems odd that no one thought to check version numbers. I wonder what would have happened with a legit copy of 2003 but illegitimate copy of 2007...
Posted by Tim Smith on April 24, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
We don't miss the Blue Screen of Death
I found this image on the Channel 9 forums this morning and it quite caught my interest because it seems so polite and graceful.
Now, I use graceful in the programming sense of the word, which is to say that it's giving a minutes grace to save work. Now that has to be an improvement on the old Blue Screen of Death.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Some more Vista Ultimate Extras are now available
If you are lucky enough to have a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate there are some new extras that should be appearing in Windows Update very soon.
Both are new content packs. There are two new sound schemes called Glass and Pearl, and new DreamScenes for the Desktop. These are videos to replace the static wallpaper.
As ever, information on all of the Vista Ultimate Extras can be found at www.ultimatepc.com
Posted by Tim Smith on April 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
More quick launch apps than menu options....
As regular readers will know I'm a big fan of Launchy for quickly running programs whose exact location in the Start Menu I've long forgotten.
Then I found Calq, a similar app dedicated to sums. Launchy has some basic arithmetic capabilities but Calq can remember often used formulas.
Now there is Fingertips, similar to Launchy but with a big advantage for Outlook users. It can be used to create new appointments and tasks. Now that's another shortcut key combination to remember.
Then again, Vista users may want to stick with the Start Menu search.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The time cost of Web 2.0
It's seems to be the elephant in the room. Web 2.0 takes up a lot of time, at work that means money, but it's just as costly at home. This graph and accompanying post give some idea of what can be achieved depending on your level of commitment.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) due 29th April
Microsoft has finally announced the release date for Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). The update has now been released to manufacturing, and will be available on the web from the 29th of April. A Microsoft spokesperson told us that automatic distribution via Windows Update will "begin in early summer".
Unlike XP SP2, the new update is not expected to add any major new features to Windows XP - instead it contains all the previously available updates and "a number of small additions that should not significantly change the Windows XP experience", according to Microsoft.
Posted by Tom Royal on April 22, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A wise saying on manuals
I found this in a review I was reading this morning.
"In accordance with Anderton’s Law of Manuals ("products that are so easy to use you don’t need a manual always have the best documentation"), the documentation—printed quick start, and full instructions on PDF—is extremely clear and helpful."
Sad, but very often true
Posted by Tim Smith on April 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Customise the Outlook Today view
Using a summary view in Outlook (or your PIM of choice) is a good way of finding out what kind of day it's going to be. Like most things to do with productivity, what seemed like a good idea to the Outlook Team might not be how you want to work. I now keep my Task list in a filofax, so there's not need to waste screen space with that information.
Digital Streets has a very useful article on how to create a personalised Today view. It's all done in HTML so it's easy to follow. It also means that you are not editing crucial Outlook files, the new Today view can be a completely new file.
I'm encouraged to experiment by the big and friendly 'Restore Defaults' button. It removed my quick changes without any fuss.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 21, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Build a Program Now! Microsoft Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition: Book review
Visual Basic is a good choice for anyone wanting to make a start with computer programming. While purists may think that C is a better language it can be hard to get started and text only programs do lack instant gratification.
Build a Program Now! covers the basics of Visual Basic - what might be described as the most beginner friendly programming language. It will look familiar if you have ever edited a macro in Office.
A lot of ground is covered very quickly and it's not long before a fully working web browser has been created. This introduces a very important aspect of programming, reusing code. This might sound like cheating but the point is that there is no point in reinventing existing solutions. This is especially important for beginners as it can avoid security pitfalls.
Visual Studio even has a collection of frequently used commands in the My namespace. This is a very convenient time saver. For example it means that only one line of code is required to play an audio file:
My.Computer.Audio.Play("c:\windows\media\Windows Startup.wav")
instead of having to learn how to open the file and then play it. Combine this with the Intellisense feature that works like AutoComplete in Word but will also show what information is required to make a command work properly, and it is possible to create fairly complex programs very quickly.
As well as the essential work of finding and correcting mistakes, there is also plenty of help for creating and using databases. This is the best way of storing any information used by programs and better than simply suggesting text files.
A DVD is included with the Visual Studio Express Edition family. This almost makes the book worth the cost if you are on a dial up connection.
The biggest problem with learning Visual Basic is that it is restricted to Windows computers. That said, most of the basic concepts of programming apply equally between different languages.
Sadly there were one or two production errors in the book (p82 for example) with main text appearing in boxes. Nothing appears to be actually missing so it is no more than an irritation.
This book gives a good grounding in both the specifics of Visual Basic and more general aspects of programming. As we found it on Amazon for around £10 it is excellent value too.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Alternatives to Notepad
Of all the utilities included with Windows, Notepad is one of the most useful. It can be used for quick todo lists or editing a variety of files from configuration files to all kinds of programs.
The limited editing options do get frustrating, especially when dealing with large files. The lack of line numbers, for example, is a big problem. There are lots of alternatives, my favourite is Notepad++. Not only does it number lines, but it can also colour code text to make reading and writing programming code much easier.
I'm pleased, therefore, to see that Notepad++ is doing rather well in a survey on the Lifehacker website.
Also popular is Notepad2, which has a slightly cleaner interface.
The only snag as far as I'm concerned is the hassle involved in replacing notepad with one of the alternatives. I suppose replacing the browser is a far more common requirement. My solution is to use Launchy for starting apps. It seems to learn that I want Notepad++ not Notepad after a couple of selections. Alternatively Notepad++ adds an option to the right-click context menu.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Book review: Unofficial Lego Mindstorms NXT Inventors' Guide
We're big fans of the Lego Mindstorms NXT
kit, which bolts the original NXT robotics onto a control unit that includes
USB and Bluetooth connectivity to a computer. It can be quite tricky to get
started, though, particularly if you're short of inspiration, which is where No
Starch Press's Unofficial Lego Mindstorms NXT Inventors' Guide comes in.
The book is large and well-laid-out, with clear text and simple illustrations that follow the style of the guides included with the kit itself. It begins with a depiction of the kit and all its parts, going through what each of the motors and sensors does, and how they are best used.
At the back are lists of parts and a few links to good NXT websites (there are lots out there that offer interesting models to make, and they work well in conjunction with this book).
In-between those two is the meat of the book, several step-by-step guides that take the reader through making all kinds of robots, including the guard-bot and the golf-bot. It starts easily enough, though, so the less-confident builder will find it easy to get going.
While the step-diagrams in the NXT kit are usually easy to follow, they can get complicated, so it's good that the book offers handy hints when they might be necessary. There's also a long section dedicated to using NXT-G, the programming language used by the kit.
That again isn't tricky to use – it's pictorial, so you don't have to type any commands, just drag and drop function icons into place on screen – but again it's good to have the explanations here.
In all, if you're familiar with NXT or with robots and modelling, you probably won't find the Unofficial Inventors' Guide very illuminating. For the less-confident modeller or for newcomers to the NXT kit, it's an excellent, easy to follow reference guide.
More information: No Starch Press
Posted by Anthony Dhanendran on April 9, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Another updated update
But this time from Microsoft. If you were considering installing Service Pack 1 for Vista it's worth checking to make sure that all is well with the Servicing Stack Update.
According to the Windows Update Blog there is can problem with this leading to an infinite reboot cycle. Assuming you are up to date with Windows Update the problem shouldn't happen. The conclusion to be drawn is don't run other software during the update; the blog refers to 'a few unknown and rare events during the middle of the installation'.
I know it's tempting to get on with something when an update is running but it's best to find alternative entertainment. And don't do what I did once, which was to fire up Half Life during a partition operation on a disk (not I hasten to add the one containing the game). Even so, it wasn't pretty.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Updates post updated
Well the Apple Software Update update installed without any problems and it found updates for QuickTime and iTunes.
But it won't install them. Instead it complains of an invalid signature. Thankfully, closing the utility and then starting it again seems to have solved the problem
Posted by Tim Smith on April 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Vista: not so zippy?
Last weekend I finally came across a genuinely annoying aspect of Windows Vista: its ZIP file support. Like thousands of other web users I found myself needing to upgrade to the latest version of Wordpress, and the first step of the process requires downloading and extracting a ZIP file.
The file in question isn't particularly large (around 1.2MB), and downloaded in seconds, but then I asked Vista to extract it. To my amazement, it then gave an estimated extraction time of about thirty minutes. Estimated times can be deceiving, of course, so I left it alone for that universal standard measure of time, the time it takes to make a cup of tea. On returning, however, it was still busily churning away.
Being the impatient type I went to the web, downloaded a third party extractor, installed that and unzipped the file (a process that took around ten seconds).
A quick look on the web suggests that this isn't an isolated problem, and that "unblocking" downloaded ZIP files can speed things along somewhat. Failing that, Vista users looking for a zippier unzipper (sorry) should try 7-Zip.
Posted by Tom Royal on April 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Even updates need updates
As the Apple Software Update tools doesn't seem to proactively alert me, other people might need this.
The tool itself needs updating, so it's worth checking again.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 8, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Another reason to dislike malware writers
Fair enough there are precious few reasons to like them as it is, but as the McAfee Avert Labs points out, they may also be making a substantial contribution to global warming.
While I hope no one is printing spam out and wasting paper, the load placed on the internet in general sending and blocking spam uses a considerable amount of energy. In fact the writer even suggests that the amount of energy wasted by home computers infected by the most recent Storm outbreak would power his house for 8 years. And that's without considering the load on ISP servers and the like.
There's not much we can do about the writers themselves, but keeping a computer clean of viruses and the like is not just for personal benefit, but everyone's.
If you haven't already, take a look at:
Posted by Tim Smith on April 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Want to know about viruses? Let some loose*
* In a controlled environment, of course.
Yesterday Computeractive was given a sneak preview of a new incentive being set up by security firm Kaspersky Lab - training workshops where attendees can, for a fee, learn about how viruses and other online threats work by deliberately infecting computers and monitoring the results.
The PCs in question are isolated on a closed network with no access to the internet, so there's no risk of any threat spreading further, and viruses are provided on CD - not, obviously, to be taken away afterwards. We successfully infected our workstation with the Sasser and Netsky worms, and a couple of Trojan programs for good measure, while monitoring the changes made to files and the registry, before removing them again. The PC pictured above is monitoring data sent over the network by a worm. As well as these practical sessions, the courses include theory lessons on the different threats found online, the motivation behind them and strategies for minimising the threat to businesses.
Look out for more details on the courses next week.
Posted by Tom Royal on April 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Update for Opera Browser
If the browser hasn't already alerted you, it's time to update Opera to version 9.27.
It's a painless job and apart from a restart should leave you back where you started. There are some security updates and improvements on the Acid test.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wii Fit
It's good to see that Nintendo is continuing to innovate when it comes to how we interact with our games. The Wii itself really changed things, for the first time bringing in people who'd never even considered playing games before.
Now along comes Wii Fit, which we had the chance to have a look at recently at Nintendo's offices. It's a clever piece of software that comes with its own 'balance board'. You stand on this and can then do all sorts of games and exercises.
It's much more fun than it sounds - there's an excellent skiing simulator, a dance-mat-alike game and, our favourite, the ball game that's similar to Marble Madness, except that you control it by shifting your balance.
Of course, the overall plan is that the game helps players get fitter. We'll find out whether it does its job in our full review - keep an eye out on the site.
Posted by Anthony Dhanendran on April 3, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Stay safe on April Fools day
It's that time of year again when 
we all try to fool each other (or stick paper fish on each other in France). It also makes an ideal opportunity for nastyware writers over the globe.
There's a report from the McAfee Avert Labs Blog that the Storm worm has a new variant for today.
So this is a special appeal for everyone to be a little extra careful when reading emails or IM messages.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Software for Windows Mobile
The rise of SmartPhones means that more and more of us have amazingly capable devices that do nothing more making calls.
Finding software for mobile devices can be a little tricky - it's back to my old problem of trust. I've got all my contacts on my phone, am I really happy installing other software. The Windows Mobile Owners Circle is a very good place to start.
There is plenty of software to be found from Photo Contacts* to a mobile widgets program called Zumobi. I'm also intrigued by Viigo, a mobile RSS reader.
* I have a terrible memory for faces so this would be very useful. I'm just not sure if I'd be willing to take people's photos when we first meet.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
